Electric cord arrangement for vacuum cleaners



Nov 13, 1956 R. E. S HEAHAN ELECTRIC CORD ARRANGEMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1953 a 9 e e F n o r m 0 E V n m M Nov. 13, 1956 R. E. SHEAHAN 2,769,997

ELECTRIC CORD ARRANGEMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed July 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor-z Robert E. Sheahan,

t-Hs Attorneg.

ELECTRIC CORD GENIENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Robert E. Sheahan, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 9, 1953, Serial No. 366,917

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-324) The present invention relates to electric cord arrangement for vacuum cleaners and particularly to an electric cord arrangement for use with a vacuum cleaner of the tank or canister type wherein a hose is connected to the cleaner body and various cleaning tools are adapted for connection to the other end of the hose by a detachable fitting whereby any one of a number of diflierent cleaning tools may be used. The invention is well adapted for use in connection with a canister type vacuum cleaner wherein the hose is connected to the cleaner by a swiveled head. However, the invention is not limited thereto necessarily.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved structure and arrangement in a vacuum cleaner of the above referred to type whereby an electric lamp may be readily connected with any of the dilferent cleaning tools; and in the case of a cleaning tool having an electric motor driven agitator in its nozzle the lamp may be connected to the tool along with an electrical connection for the motor which drives the agitator.

According to my invention there is provided in the case of a canister type cleaner having a swiveled head to which the hose is connected, suitable slip rings which are connected to a plug receptacle carried by the swiveled head, a stationary part adjacent to the swiveled head being provided with brushes which bear on the slip rings and through which the slip rings may be connected to an electric circuit. The suction hose is provided with an electric cord which extends along it and is provided at one end with a plug for connection with the plug receptacle and at the other end with a lamp base which carries an electric lamp and is adapted to be detachably positioned in a socket on the cleaning tool, each cleaning tool being provided with a socket for reception of the lamp base whereby the lamp may be positioned on whatever clean ing tool is to be used. In the case of a vacuum cleaner having a cleaning tool which has an electric motor driven agitator, the lamp base may embody a female connector or plug receptacle for connection with a plug wired to the motor which drives the cleaning tool agitator.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention attention is directed to the following specification and to the claim appended thereto.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a second type of cleaning tool.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modification.

Referring to the drawing, 3 indicates the base or bot tom wall of the vacuum cleaner. Supported on base 3 is an annular side wall 4, it being attached to the base by a ring of studs 5. The lower portion 6 of side Wall 4 is smaller in diameter than the upper portion and integral with base 3 is an upwardly projecting flange 7 which is spaced from wall portions 6 to define an annular air discharge chamber 8. Carried by wall portion 6 is an annular inwardly projecting flange 9 on which is supported a power unit comprising an electric motor 10 2,769,997 Patented Nov. 13, 1956 which drives a suction fan 11. ported through the intermediary of a flexible rubber ring 12. Also supported by flange 9 is a dome shaped foraminous bag support 13 which houses motor 10. The upper end of side wall 4 is provided with an inturned flange 14 on which is supported a packing ring 15 to which is attached the upper open end of a fabric vacuum cleaner bag 16. The central or bottom portion of bag 16 rests on and over bag support 13. Supported at its outer edge on packing ring 15 is a cone shaped dome 17 having an opening 13 at its center through which extends the neck of a disposable paper bag or liner 19 for fabric bag 16. The edge of paper bag 19 is flattened down onto the upper surface of dome 17 as indicated at 20. Paper bag or liner 19 follows the contour of and is supported by fabric bag 16.

Side wall 4 is shaped to provide an upwardly facing annular shoulder 21 on which rests the lower edge of a dome shaped cover 22. Cover 22 has a flanged central air admission opening 23 in its top Wall overwhich is rotatably mounted an inlet nozzle 24. Nozzle 24 has a flat bearing surface 25 which rests on the top wall of cover 22 and it is held in position on cover 22 by a flange 26 as shown clearly in the drawing. The nozzle is shaped to provide a neck 27. Cover 22 is fastened in place on side wall 4 by several circumferentially spaced clamps, one of which is indicated at 28. Clamps 28 are not illustrated in detail as their specific structure forms no part of the present invention. They may be of any suitable construction. They serve to clamp the lower edge of the cover against shoulder 21 and at the same time to squeeze a sealing ring 29 tightly against dome 17 to seal the space between dome 17 and cover 22 and clamp in position paper bag 19. The base 3, side wall 4 and cover 22 combine to form an enclosure for the vacuum cleaner.

Detachably connected to nozzle 24 by suitable means as indicated at 30 is a suction hose 31 having at its outer end a fitting 32 to which may be detachably connected one of any number of different cleaning tools, one such tool being indicated at 33 in Fig. l and another at 34 in Fig. 2. In this connection, it will be understood that with this type of vacuum cleaner a number of different tools are provided for different cleaning operations.

Suction fan 11 is positioned in spaced relation to wall 6 to define an annular air chamber 35 to which air is discharged from the suction fan through openings 36 in the fan casing. Air from chamber 35 is discharged to chamber 8 through an opening 37 in wall 6 and from chamber 8 it flows out through an annular space 39 between the upper edge of flange 7 and wall 4. Between wall portion 6 and the upper portion of flange 7 is a filter ring 49 through which the air discharges to atmosphere. A11 electric cord for connecting motor 10 to a plug receptacle is indicated at 41. In the cord is a control switch 42.

The structure so far described forms no part of the present invention. able canister or upright tank type electric vacuum cleaner having a swiveled inlet nozzle.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, there is provided on the outer surface of neck 27 a pair of slip rings 45 carried by a collar 46 of insulating material fixed on the neck; and engaging the slip rings is a pair of brushes 47 carried by a disk 48 of insulating material fixed in an opening in the top wall of cover 22. Slip rings 45 are electrically connected by conductors 49 to a plug receptacle 50 mounted in a socket 51 in the Wall of nozzle 24 and brushes 47 are electrically connected by conductors 52 to a plug receptacle 53 carried by cover 22. Carried by side wall 4 is a plug re ceptacle 54 electrically connected by conductors 55 to cord 41 in parallel with motor 10 beyond switch 42 as The power unit is sup- It is to be taken as typical of any suit- 3 shown so that the switch controls the circuits of both the motor and the plug receptacle 54. Plug receptacle 54 is electrically connected to plug receptacle 53 by a length of cord 56 having a plug at each end for engagement with the receptacles. Thus plug receptacle 50 is electrically connected to cord 41 in parallel with motor by way of slip rings 45, brushes 47 and plug receptacles 53 and 54.

Attached to and carried by hose 31 is an electric cord 57. In the present instance it is shown as being attached to the outer surface of the hose by suitable band fasteners 58 but, as is obvious, it may be built into the hose in a known manner. At its one end cord 57 is provided with a plug 59 for engagement with receptacle 50. The cord 57 is unfastened adjacent to the fitting 32 so that the plug body 60 may be readily connected to a variety of cleaning tools. At its other end cord 57 is provided with a plug body 60 on which is mounted an electric lamp 61 to which cord 57 is connected. Plug body 60 may be in the form of a plug receptacle body (as shown in Fig. 3 and hereinafter described). It is adapted to be positioned in a socket 62 which forms a part of tool 33. Fig. 2 shows a second type of cleaning tool 34 that can be used in connection with this invention. Tool 34 carries a socket member 62 which receives and supports the plug body 60 attached to the cord 57.

When switch 42 is closed to operate motor 10, lamp 61 will be in circuit and will serve to illuminate the surface being cleaned. Each tool for use with hose 31 will be provided with a socket 62. When a tool is to be changed, plug body 60 is removed from socket 62, the one tool 33 detached from fitting 32 and the other tool substituted. Plug body 60 is then inserted in the socket 62 of the other tool. By this arrangement the lamp may be readily attached to whatever tool is used.

If desired a suitable switch may be wired into cord 57 for controlling lamp 61; and the wiring arrangement may be such that it controls only the lamp or it may control both the lamp and also motor 10. Such a switch is indicated at 63.

In Fig. 3 is shown a structure wherein the tool comprises a brush 6S driven by an electric motor 66 through a belt 67. The terminals of the motor are connected to a plug 68 carried by the top wall of the tool, the plug having contact blades 69. Plug receptacle body 60a, corresponding to plug body 60 of Fig. 1, is connected to plug 68 and thus serves to connect both lamp 61a, which corresponds to lamp 60, and motor 66 in circuit. Otherwise the structure shown in Fig. 3 is generally similar to that of Fig. 1 and corresponding reference numerals with the exponent a added have been used to indicate corresponding parts. However, in Fig. 3 cord 56a corresponding to cord 56 of Fig. 1 is arranged inside casing side wall 4:: and is connected at one end directly to cord 41a and at the other end to a plug receptacle 54a, and cord 52a is connected to a plug 70 fixed inside cover 22a. This serves to conceal the wiring.

In the Fig. 1 construction when the cover is to be removed to empty the vacuum cleaner bag it is necessary first to detach cord 56 from plug receptacle 53. In the Fig. 3 construction plug 70 is detached from plug receptacle 54:! when thecover is lifted off side wall 4a.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is,

In a vacuum cleaner, an enclosure comprising side walls and a removable cover, a power unit in the enclosure comprising an electric motor and a suction fan, an inlet nozzle carried by the cover, a plug receptacle carried by the nozzle, wiring including a detachable electrical connection connecting the plug receptacle in parallel with said electric motor, said electrical connection being disposed to enable separation of said cover said side walls, a suction hose connected at one end to the inlet nozzle, its other end being provided witha cleaning tool fitting, an electric cord which extends longitudinally of and is carried by said suctionhose, an electric plug at one end of said cord for connection to said plug receptacle, a cleaning tool detachably connected to said cleaning tool fitting, a plug body attached to the other end of said electric cord, said cord having a free section adjacent said tool fitting and carrying said plug body at the free end thereof, means on the outer wall of said cleaning tool spaced from the connection-of said cleaning tool fitting and said cleaning tool and adapted to receive and support said plug body, and an electric lamp carried by said plug body connected to the conductors of said electric cord.

References Cited in the file of this patent 0 UNITED STATES PATENTS 

